Picture-exhibitor.



PATENTED AUG. 6

A. M. BECKER. PICTURE EXHIBITOR.. APPLICATION Hum 33.21. 1907.

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PATENTED AUG. 6

A. M. BECKER. PICTURE EXHIBITOR. AP'PLIOATI ON FILED 33.27, 1907! 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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AUGUST M. BECKER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO LORENZ STRAOK, OF

NEW YORK, N. Y.

PICTURE-EXHIBITOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 6, 1907.

Application filed February 27,1907. Serial No. 359,585.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST M. BECKER, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York, in the borough of Manhattan, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Picture-Exhibitors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in picture-exhibitors by which a number of pictures are moved forward into view from the rear towards the front by the depression of a lever, so as to exhibit the pictures which are placed at both sides in suitable frames that are successively moved forward by mechanism actuated by the lever; and for this purpose the invention consists of a picture-exhibitor which comprises a casing open at the front and rear, a plurality of exhibiting frames in which the pictures are placed both at the front and rear, inclined ways on which said frames move in backward direction, lever-arms by which they are engaged and lifted over the top of the casing to the front top-part of the same and then transferred to the ways, and an actuating-lever connected with said arms and adapted to operate the same so as to bring the picture-exhibiting frames from the rear of the casing over towards the front of the same.

The invention consists further of certain details of construction which will be fully described hereinafter and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my improved picture-exhibitor, Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on line 2, 2, Fig. 1, drawn on a larger scale, Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through one corner of the exhibitor, Fig. 4 is a rear-elevation of the upper corner, Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section through the exhibitor, showing the frames in their motion from the rear part of the casing towards the front part of the same, and Fig. 6 is a detail View of one of the frames.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Referring to the drawings, a represents the casing of my improved picture-exhibitor,which consists of a base a two upright side-boards a and a top 11 The base a is supported on ball-shaped buttons or feet so as to be slightly raised above the part on which the exhibitor is placed. The exhibitor is provided at its inside with inclined ways I), Z) which are made of wire or other suitable material and on which the picture-exhibiting frames f are guided by means of U-shaped wire ears e which are attached to the upper ends of the same. The front ends of the inclined ways are provided with upwardly and inwardly bent guides b and the rear ends with backwardly-bent guides b which serve to guide the frames into proper position. To the upper part of the side-walls of the casing are applied pivot-arms d, which are bent inwardly at their rear ends and provided with fixed hooks d which engage the wire ears 6 of the frames and serve to lift them away out of the inclined guides. To one of the pivots of the bent arms d is applied a grooved ornamented pulley a to the circumference of which is attached a connecting-cord e, the lower end of which is applied to a lever Z applied to the lower part of the side-walls a said lever being provided with an enlargement l at the front end so as to be pressed by the thumb. The curved lever-arms d are connected transversely by a pivot-rod 01 so that they operate together, the pivot-rod being acted upon by helical springs s which are attached at one end to the rod and at the opposite end abut against the top of the casing, said springs exerting a downward tension on the arms d so as to hold them in position in the recesses a at the rear portion of the side-walls a The operation of my improved picture-exhibitor is as follows: After the frames f are filled with the required number of pictures and placed in position on the inclined ways in the casing the lever Z is depressed, so that the hook-shaped ends d of the actuating leverarms (1 engage the ears e of the rear picture frame, then lift the same out of the rear part of the casing in upward direction and over the top part into inclined position at the front of the same, as shown clearly in Fi 5. The hook-shaped ends d of the lever-arms receive the ears e in such a manner that when the arms are raised from the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the rear frame will also be raised and partake of the movement of said arms, being swung over the cabinet to the front of the same. The cars a are made to fit rather snugly within the hook-shaped ends, whereby the frame, instead of hanging vertically, will be swung outwardly and upwardly, through the different positions indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5, into the approximately upright position shown in said figure. in which the frame is engaged with the front ends of the guides, after which the frame will fall down into the position shown in Fig. 1. The pivoted arms are returned by the springs into their position at the rear part of the casing so as to take up by their hooks the next frame and bring the same over into the upper front position, so that the picture is moved into forward direction into the casing so as to be supported 011 its ears on the inclined ways of the casing, ready to be moved in backward direction, as the pictures are moved forward one after the other by the actuating mechanism.

The picture-exhibitor may be provided with a lid a at the front part that is hinged at the lower part so as to be brought up to the top so as to close the casing at the front part when the exhibitor is not in use. During the exhibition of the pictures the lid is lowered so as not to interfere with the regular feed of the exhibiting frames.

The exhibitor can be used on a small scale as apic ture-exhibit'or or album for family use, and on a larger scale for advertising purposes in connection with suitable advertising matter.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A picture-exhibitor consisting of a casing open at the front and rear. inclined ways at the upper part of said casing having bent-up ends, a plurality of picture-exhibiting frames provided with wire cars at their upper corners and guided on said ways, pivoted and spring-actuated arms having inwardly-bent rear ends and hooks on said ends adapted to engage the ears on said frames, and means for swinging said arms over the top of the casing in forward direction for successively delivering the frames and dropping them in front of the casing.

2. A picture-exhibitor consisting of a casing provided with a base, side-walls and top, inclined ways at the inside of said side-walls, a plurality of picture frames having projecting ears at the upper corners and guided on said ways, said ways being, provided with upwardly-bent front and rear parts, pivoted and spring'actuated arms having inwardly-bent rear ends provided with hooks for engaging the ears on said picture frames, a lever at the front part of the casing, a pulley on one of said arms, and a cord connecting said lever with said pulleyso that on the depression of the lever the rear arms engage a frame at the rear part of. the casing, and by the next following frame and drop it over the front part of the casing.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AUGUST M. BECKER.

Witnesses:

PAUL Gonr'ml, HENRY .T. Suriname.

raise the same and swing it forward- 

